Moore cash aid pilot targets Baltimore moms in Cherry Hill, Park Heights

Direct cash is coming to Baltimore mothers in Cherry Hill and Park Heights, with Maryland opening an application portal for a pilot that will send up to $20,000 a year for three years to 150 new mothers across three ENOUGH communities.

The program, run with the Bridge Project, was announced May 21 and put two Baltimore neighborhoods at the center of Governor Wes Moore’s latest anti-poverty push. The third community in the pilot is Hagerstown. For families in Cherry Hill and Park Heights, the offer is not a grant competition or a one-time check. It is unrestricted cash intended to help during pregnancy, birth and the earliest years of a child’s life.

State officials say the money is meant to cover basic needs that often decide whether a household can stay steady or slide into crisis, including rent, groceries and baby supplies. The broader policy goal is to reduce stress on expectant mothers and improve long-term outcomes for children, part of Maryland’s ENOUGH initiative, which the administration has used to target concentrated child poverty.

The Governor’s Office for Children says Maryland has roughly 150,000 children living in poverty. ENOUGH began with $13.1 million in grants to 27 entities across eligible counties, and the Moore administration later said year two would add more than $19 million. State officials also say ENOUGH communities have built more than 550 partner relationships and served more than 12,000 Marylanders so far.

Baltimore’s role is especially significant because Park Heights Renaissance and Cherry Hill Strong have already been involved in ENOUGH-related work. That local network may help explain why the pilot landed in neighborhoods where family costs and poverty pressures are already deeply felt.

The Bridge Project describes itself as an unrestricted cash transfer program for pregnant moms. Selected mothers receive cash for up to three years, and the organization says the effort began in New York City in 2021, has expanded to 12 states and has committed about $90 million to direct, unconditional cash support for more than 3,900 moms and babies.

Applicants must verify their due date, income and location. The organization says it will never ask for a Social Security number or bank information by text or email, a detail that could matter as the state and nonprofit work to build trust with families.

If the pilot expands, its success will be measured less by ceremony than by whether mothers in Cherry Hill and Park Heights can use the money to stabilize housing, keep appointments, buy essentials and give newborns a stronger start.